(Dow Jones) -- For the past decade, U.S. honeybees have been decimated by a host of maladies including 22 different named viruses, two kinds of mites, and the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder, in which worker bees inexplicably abandon their hives.

The problem has been easy for consumers to ignore because food prices haven't been affected. But beekeepers must now work year-round to replace lost colonies; farmers are paying higher pollination fees for a fixed number of hives; and scientists worry that persistent bee deaths could threaten the food supply. For them, ignoring the problem isn't an option. And without their ...